The days of piling things you don’t need in the shed, garage or a barn are long gone. The creators of modern urban living conditions have gradually been claiming our secondary facilities in the search for greater luxury, efficiency and comfort. That process has stripped away our deeply rooted need to set something palpable aside for a rainy day.

On the other hand, the label “consumer society” aptly shows us that spending and acquiring are among the driving forces in modern western culture. Incentives to spend as much as you can and a little bit more are all around us, which certainly contributes to the creation of various surpluses. People have never before been able to afford so much and never had so little space to store it in.

From this disparity arose a new kind industry of storage space renting, accommodating the increasing demand for storing various just about anything imaginable. However, abovementioned factors had also set the stage for compulsive piling of more or less unnecessary things (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_hoarding). So, before hitting yellow pages or googling “storage” followed by the name of your city, ask yourself: do you really need it? Or you just think it could come handy?

1) Am I really in need of extra storage space?

Renting extra storage space (like the one Kennards Self Storage rents in Illawarra) may seem like a great idea during home redecoration and resettlement, but instead of blindly renting more than you need, it is wise to go through your things before renting and see if there are some unusable, broken, unnecessary ones, or if there are some things you might like to sell. This way you could see clearly how much extra space is really necessary, save some money on storage rental, and even make some extra cash.

2) What type of storage space is right for me?

After determining the amount of space you need, the next step is to see what type of storage is suitable for our possessions. Assets like lawnmowers or tools usually kept in sheds can be placed in a plain container without particular extra care, but valuable goods like antique furniture should be protected from mold and dampness. These special conditions require storage space with controlled environmental conditions, and of course, this means a significant amount of money ought to be spent.

3) How often will I be accessing my belongings?

This is an important question that often slips our minds when a great bargain is offered, but instead of renting a cheap storage space on a remote place, it would be wiser to consider the amount of time and gas you would spent while getting to our stored goods. If you need to access your things on a daily basis, it would be quite a hassle if you had to drive for two hours to the storage. This way the seemingly more expensive offer might turn out to be a cheaper alternative.

4) What exactly will I get for my money?

Once you pick a rental company, it would be smart to require detailed information how their prices are formed and what is included. Since most home resettlements and redecorations are done during spring and summer it is not unusual for some companies to have higher prices during high-season. If these information are not specified on their website, you should ask and get informed about these details.

5) What are the characteristics of the storage space itself?

The quality of storage space differs from one company to another, and if pictures of the compartments or containers are not readily available for potential leaseholders, a tour around the facility would be in order. All compartments should be isolated from one another so no interaction between two leaseholders’ belongings could happen (in case one leaseholder leaves food in his/hers compartment, pests like rodents or insects could contaminate other leaseholders property, too). Also, compartments should have only one access point which is under constant video-surveillance. This is done so the possibility of theft by outsiders, or even other leaseholders could be excluded.

6) Liability

Most companies do not accept any liability for any damage or accident that could happen and it is important to get informed about insurance and refunds. Being aware of these conditions may help you avoid legal disputes in the future.

7) Arrangement and organization of assets

After you have acquired all the necessary information about the company you have chosen, you should give some thought to the arrangement of your property. There are numerous online calculators that can help you determine the minimal space you will need (for example: http://www.selfstorage.com.au/calculator.php). By organizing all of your possessions carefully you make most of the space you rented and it will be easier to find whatever particular item you might be searching in the future.